Category Archives: Bouldering

Ashima Shiraishi’s ascent of Crown of Aragorn (V13) in Hueco Tanks was widely reported by climbing and outdoor media, and now she is getting the attention of major media outlets as well. Last weekend, she was featured in a lead story in the New York Times, as well as a video featuring her training in New York City and working problems in Hueco. Despite the propensity of non-climbers to painfully bungle terminology when writing about the sport, this article is very well written. Click here for the article and video.

On a recent trip to Joshua Tree, Black Diamond athlete Sonny Trotter realized that there were three outstanding boulder problems (all established by bouldering legend John Bachar) he’d never attempted. Thus, he decided to conduct his own personal “John Bachar Memorial Climbing Day” and complete all 3 routes: J.B.M.F.P (V5), Slashface (V3), and Planet X (V6).

The last few weeks have seen a spate of impressive achievements by pre-teens. First, 10-year-old Ashima Shiraishi sent Crown of Aragorn (V13) in Hueco Tanks. Previously, Ashima notched Power of Silence (V10), also at Hueco, when she was only 8. Although there is no video currently released of her Crown ascent, here’s some footage of her at a competition at age 9.

Another impressive recent ascent of The Aquarium (V12) at Bishop, CA is credited to 11-year-old Mirko Caballero. In addition to bouldering, Mirko has been crushing it on sport routes too- he sent Fugitive (5.13a) at Jailhouse, CA last year when he was just 10. You can check out Mirko’s blog here.

“Welcome to one of Earth’s great playgrounds of stone — Joshua Tree National Park. The sheer size and complexity of Joshua Tree’s granite mazes is mind-boggling: 30 square miles of rock piles, hundreds of formations — and millions of boulders. For those seeking the thrill of exploration and a lifetime of bouldering, Joshua Tree is ad infinitum. With an explosion in bouldering activity, this book is double the size of previous editions, documenting more than 2000 problems, from some of the first and most-historic boulders in the US, through Stonemaster classics of the 70s and 80s, to recent v-double-digit testpieces pioneered by the likes of Rob Mulligan, Chris Lindner, and Chris Sharma.”

JOSHUA TREE BOULDERING

A Comprehensive Color Guidebook to more than 2000 Problems from 5.0 to v13

Ever had a great highball boulder problem that was extra sketchy because you were afraid of missing your crash pad? This English inventor and climber has come up with a great solution!

“You look down, and the mat’s just below your feet. And you make moves, and you look down, and the mat’s still just below your feet. It never starts looking like a postage stamp lies below ya.”

Note: also very useful for keeping your shoes clean when traversing.

Other note: In case you’re dense, this is a joke. Don’t do this, you’ll probably get hurt. And we don’t want that on our conscience. Always boulder with an attentive spotter and a well-placed crash pad. We recommend you leave the copper wire bit out of it.